This isn’t your typical superhero movie. There are evil villains (mobsters) and masked crusaders (high school students, an 11-year-old girl and a former cop), but there’s a palpable reality to “Kick-Ass” that makes the story fresh and authentic. And when I say authentic, I mean it. You seldom see an 11-year-old girl cussing like Tony Montana and slicing off limbs like “Kill Bill’s” Beatrix Kiddo. But from the opening scene, Director Matthew Vaughn grabs the viewer’s attention and never lets go.

Awkward high school student Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) sets out to become a real life superhero. Why can’t an Average Joe fight for justice? Who says a green and yellow scuba suite can’t be as intimidating as Superman’s “S”? While these questions race through Dave’s mind, he actively pursues what was once a ridiculous fantasy. And thus we are introduced to “Kick-Ass,” Dave’s alter ego and a superhero. After an onlooker records Kick-Ass getting his ass-kicked by a group of mobsters, Dave becomes an overnight sensation more popular than the “Charlie Bit My Finger” YouTube video. But despite Kick-Ass’ stardom, he is still the uncomfortable Dave around love interest Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca).

While the violence is graphic and certainly gory at times, the real punch from the film is given by Chloe Moretz (who plays Hit-Girl). Hit-Girl is the daughter of the former police officer turned superhero Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage). Moretz’s lethal combat abilities make Jet Li look like Mahatma Gandhi. And that’s only the half of it. Hit-Girl spews cusses with such maturity and clarity (remember, she is an 11-year-old girl) that I found myself not only hysterically laughing but sitting in my seat awestruck as well.

Kick-Ass connects with Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), another teenage superhero who is the son of the villain, Italian crime lord Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong). The film’s trailer does a great job of not giving anything away, and I will try and do the same. The movie knows what it is: a sleek, hip, funny, clever, intense, dramatic, bloody mess that rarely hits a dull note. The satirical humor works well and the violence suites the story without being gratuitous. I didn’t go into Kick-Ass with high expectations, but was happily rewarded with one hour and 46 minutes of pulp perfection.